FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 6, 2018) – As they say, it is not how you start but how you finish, and that proved to be the case in Northern Arizona volleyball's 25-23, 25-9, 26-24 sweep of Montana Saturday night. The Lumberjacks faced early set deficits in each of the three games, and had to rally in the third set, but the 'Jacks would ultimately notch their second consecutive sweep in the Rolle Activity Center.
"We kept our composure, sided out on the first serve and we were so patient," said head coach
Ken Murphy. "Montana really responded in the third set – it was their best set of the match – but it was good to see our team keep working. When we got our break, we were able to score points."
The Lumberjacks, now 12-7 overall and 4-2 in the Big Sky, fell behind 2-0 in the first and third sets and 3-0 in the second. In the third set, the 'Jacks trailed by as many as five points, but NAU never wavered in what was another dominant match statistically.
NAU hit .287 and held Montana to .080 hitting, largely due to a stingy back row performance that logged 79 digs in just three sets. Senior
Jordan Anderson led the way, recording 23 digs in her highest three-set total of her career. Redshirt senior
Kaylie Jorgenson and junior
Sydney Lema combined for 29 more digs as both outside hitters reached double-digits as well.
The Lumberjacks' stout back row play was on display from the opening game, but the Grizzlies would match them dig for dig in a close first set that went NAU's way. The teams combined for 55 first set digs, with Harris proving to be one of the few players to find offensive success early. She delivered three kills during a 5-0 run that erased NAU's early deficit and gave the home team a 9-6 advantage.
Montana eventually battled back to retake a brief 18-17 lead, but Harris knocked down her sixth kill of the opening game to tie it at 18-18. Anderson followed with an ace, and by the end of a 4-0 run, the Lumberjacks held a 21-18 lead that they would not give back.
NAU blasted Montana in the second set, hitting .500, and completely ran away with the evening's only lopsided game. Via a 10-0 run with junior
Abby Stomp at the service line, the 'Jacks broke open what was only a 9-7 lead at the time. Junior
Abby Akin was integral in the run, picking up two kills and two blocks as NAU forced 11 Montana attack errors in the set.
"We have a group that is capable of (the second set performance) more often," Murphy said. "When we do, it's really hard to score against us. There was that one stretch in the match, but you saw it a little in the third set too when we had to come back. That's nice to know that our team is developing that attitude."
The Lumberjacks had to dig deep to complete the sweep, battling back from four different five-set deficits in the third set. The Grizzlies gave the Lumberjacks their best shot, leading as much as 20-15 late, but the 'Jacks would rally.
Redshirt senior
Brittni Dorsey capped an extended sequence with a pivotal kill that forced a Montana timeout at 20-17. It was not until Akin notched her 10th kill of the match that NAU evened the score at 23-23, and freshman
Ryann Davis followed with a kill to put the Lumberjacks at match point. The Grizzlies held off one match point, but Davis quickly answered with another kill. Jorgenson would end the match with a kill that snuck inside the back line to clinch NAU's fifth straight win over Montana.
Stomp dished out a team-high 23 assists, while freshman
Aubrea Bandfield recorded 16 helpers, as they engineered NAU's offense. The 'Jacks showcased a balanced attack with Jorgenson's 11 kills leading the team. Akin had 10 kills, while Harris finished with nine and Davis added eight. Akin, who also recorded a match-high seven blocks, hit .500 in the sweep and Davis attacked at a .467 clip. As a team, NAU hit .326 in its two sweeps this week.
"We know we're capable of beating any team, and we had a fight in us to push until the end tonight even though we were down a few points," Davis said.
The 'Jacks will turn right around and head to Cedar City, Utah for a Monday night match against Southern Utah at 5:30 p.m. MST. Monday's contest will be the first of four straight on the road for NAU.
